Indonesia court upholds seizure of illegal fishing vessel

Susi Putjiasturi, Indonesian businesswoman, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (Photo By Government of Indonesia – http://www.kkp.go.id/public/upload/images/85cd3821775ec9aa5fe9f6a1e3c795b0.jpg, Public Domain)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian Fisheries Ministry says it has won a two-year court battle that confirms the legality of the government’s seizure of a Thai vessel linked to human trafficking and illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.

Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti says the ruling from a court in Aceh province shows that governments can win in the fight against cross-border crime.

Pudjiastuti says in a statement this week the ministry plans to make the refrigerated cargo ship, Silver Sea 2, part of a museum to educate the public about illegal fishing.

The ship was seized by Indonesia’s navy in mid-2015 amid a crackdown on illegal fishing by the Indonesian government and after an Associated Press investigation showed its links to human trafficking in the fishing industry.